Spring Green Floral Dress: McCall's 7432

Pattern: McCall's 7432 (c. 2016)

Pattern Description: Pullover dresses, fitted through the bust, have neckline, sleeve, and hem length variations. I cut the short length with short sleeves and constructed a bound V-neckline.

Pattern Sizing: Size ZZ (Lrg-Xlg-Xxl) I cut out a Lrg at the bust and tapered it out to the Xlg size at the waist and hip.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? No, I had many fitting issues with this dress. It needed an FBA, bust darts, and a swayback adjustment, all things I needed to reverse-engineer for a wearable dress.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, the dress was four pattern pieces, a straightforward construction. My only issue was with the fit, mostly my own fault.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I wanted a dress with few details so as not to take away from the medium-scale floral print. This design was perfect. However, I wish I had chosen something with a fuller skirt; this fabric would do great swishy action. 

Fabric Used: 58" Teal and white shaded floral stretch crepe knit (95% Polyester, 5% Spandex) from Joann Fabrics, and Gutermann 100% polyester thread in Deep Turquoise #630. 

Completely unnecessary

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: As I mentioned above, I cut out a size L upper body, did a cheater FBA by curving out the seam at the bust line*, and tapered out to an XL at the waist and hips. I also cut out a larger sleeve in XL because I've been having problems with the upper sleeves fitting small. After the dress was basted together, I tried it on. I didn't need to add extra in the body above or at the waist; it only made the dress look dumpy. I should have done a proper FBA; I needed more room above and at the bustline.

I went back and cut the sides down to a sized L. I kept the alteration at the armscyes for the wider sleeves. I have to ding the pattern on the sleeve drafting; something strange is happening. There is too much fabric at the back of the sleeve, and it pulls at the front. I've never seen this in a knit pattern. I should have used a tried-and-true armscye/sleeve combo from another pattern. After some thought, I decided to sew that seam 1/8" deeper.

The most important detail on this dress was the V-neck and achieving a smooth intersection there. I pinned and hand-basted to avoid puckering, and I am incredibly proud of the finished neckband. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I might sew it again after I transfer the armscye/sleeve combo from another pattern, probably New Look 6402 (originally New Look 6838). All bodies are unique, and this pattern may not work with mine. I would not stop anyone from buying this, as it has excellent neckline options, which was why I purchased it.

Conclusion: At the moment, this dress is a failure. It is hanging in my closet unfinished. I am debating removing the sleeves and recutting the armscye for either a new sleeve or a sleeveless dress. It's a very disappointing outcome.

Update: In the end, after the dress sat around unfinished for I don't even know how long, I stitched it up as-is. If I don't wear it, it will go to Goodwill. It is well-made and cute, though a bit short. If I can find an attractive way to extend the hem, I will keep it. If not, life is too short, and I have a huge queue of waiting projects.

*Do not do what I did; this only works on knit t-shirts. Also, I have found that I need a real FBA. I finally used an online bra calculator and discovered I'm a D instead of the C cup I thought I was! That's a big difference in a form-fitting design.